Bismuth Oxyhydroxide-Pt Inverse Interface for Enhanced Methanol Electrooxidation Performance

• Published in: Nano letters 2020-10, Vol.20 (10), p.7751-7759
• Main Authors: Wang, Xuchun, Xie, Miao, Lyu, Fenglei, Yiu, Yun-Mui, Wang, Zhiqiang, Chen, Jiatang, Chang, Lo-Yueh, Xia, Yujian, Zhong, Qixuan, Chu, Mingyu, Yang, Hao, Cheng, Tao, Sham, Tsun-Kong, Zhang, Qiao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03340

Developing efficient Pt-based electrocatalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is of pivotal importance for large-scale application of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), but Pt suffers from severe deactivation brought by the carbonaceous intermediates such as CO. Here, we demonstrate the formation of a bismuth oxyhydroxide (BiO x (OH) y )-Pt inverse interface via electrochemical reconstruction for enhanced methanol oxidation. By combining density functional theory calculations, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical characterizations, we reveal that the BiO x (OH) y -Pt inverse interface can induce the electron deficiency of neighboring Pt; this would result in weakened CO adsorption and strengthened OH adsorption, thereby facilitating the removal of the poisonous intermediates and ensuring the high activity and good stability of Pt2Bi sample. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the inverse interface structure and deep insight into the active sites for MOR, offering great opportunities for rational fabrication of efficient electrocatalysts for DMFCs.